While a variety of boats have been crafted to successfully navigate the water, the ubiquitous sailboat remains ever-present and useful today as they were when they were first crafted many years ago. As such, it is common to see sailboats in oceans and waterways the world over, sailing along side motorboats, jet skis, and cruise liners. In some parts of the world, such as Annapolis, Md., USA, the sailing capital of the world, sailing shows and races are a prevalent cultural phenomenon that is celebrated each year. In other parts of the world, recreational sailing is becoming more popular, leading to an increased demand for sailboats, as well as customization options for sailboats to help distinguish a specific owner's boat from the crowd.
Additionally, the sail offers a unique marketing and branding opportunity, until now essentially untapped. The use of large-scale, high-resolution imagery on sails presents a valuable opportunity for business and individuals to market and promote their products in a manner with maximum impact, in-tune with their environment.
In the past, sailors could paint their sails, but this affects performance and flexibility of the sail; is inaccurate; does not wear well; does not offer the option of photographic-quality (i.e. raster), non-vector graphics; and is not prudent in a competitive atmosphere. Some sails are equipped with a mesh overlay that, when combined with the backdrop of the sail, form an image, however this often results in poor image definition. Sewn-on patches, adhesive vinyl, and laminates are options for visually modifying a sail, but they conventionally damage the sail, and add weight, effectively changing the characteristics and performance of the sail. Additionally, these are often limited to lettering only of a few colors, or at best, simply logos via vector graphics.
While it is presently possible to print on materials typically used for signage, and fashion them as a type of sail, the process requires use of materials as a sail which were not originally intended for such a purpose. A customer must therefore purchase a new item not intended for sailing, constructed of this specialized material, prohibitive in cost, and unable to function as a proper engine for the vessel in question. These materials are often laminated, adding great weight, and are not as effective as conventional sails constructed out of conventional unaltered sailcloth, such as those originally designed to efficiently propel the sailboat or other sail-powered craft. As such, these laminated “sails” are rarely employed outside of an advertising context near shore.
Thus, there is a need for a process and system to print images onto sails of water craft, as well as to wind-powered aircraft, that is capable of printing on sea-worthy sails of sailboats and other wind-powered vessels, rather than requiring customers to employ sub-standard, relatively ineffective laminate, and signage fabric, sails for the sailboat or vessel in order to have a custom image displayed on the sails. Such a process would preferably be able to print directly onto actual sailcloths, composed of conventional sail materials, without the need for new materials, a mesh image screen, or an external addition of any kind.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,886,483, granted to Aaron Kiss on May 3, 2005 is for a ‘sail and manufacture thereof’ including image printing process titled PhotoSails. PhotoSails necessitates a heavy, expensive, and clumsy laminate sail, which is not utilized by the general industry because its use requires great compromises in terms of weight and performance, as well as being cost prohibitive. It is conventionally exclusively relegated to advertising, often employing glossy images on display at events, where performance compromise in elements such as speed or agility are lesser issues. The manufacturing process taught by Kiss requires the customer to purchase an entirely new sail for his or her water craft that is not as effective as industry standard sail manufacturing materials and mediums. In effect, the laminate material employed to fabricate and display the images taught by Kiss is not considered to be an authentic, usable sail. PhotoSails were not designed for effective or competitive sailing, and were primarily used for advertising in calm water near shore, greatly limiting their usefulness.